Famous men and women who served in the military

By Moran Sapir, Apr 22, 2018

Sometimes, we think we know everything there is to know about our favorite celebrities. But even if we follow all the gossip and news, and familiarize ourselves with the details of their lives as we sometimes do – we may still be surprised to learn of something that they did prior to the career that made them famous. It’s especially surprising to know that they’ve served in the military.

We idolize celebrities for being good actors, for having a great singing voice or being a master of the guitar. But apparently, some of them have done much greater things before they were well known. These brave men and women all served in the military, in different forms and fields. Before they were famous, they were soldiers. Some were decorated war heroes, willing to risk their own lives in order to fight for their country and for what they believe.

Sure, some of these celebrities seem like exactly the type to be former military men, like Duck Dynasty’s Si Robertson, Mr. T., or Chuck Norris. But you may be surprised to know that James Earl Jones, Gene Wilder, Leonard Nimoy, Hugh Hefner, and even Wonder Woman Gal Gadot served in the military. Some of them served in the United States military, and others served in their country of origin. But all of them gave their time and effort to protect the citizens of their homeland.

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Many of these men and women were greatly influenced by their time in the military, whether it’s building their own character or drawing inspiration from their experiences in the army, for their art. Sometimes art was the influence for their desire to enlist to the military – like watching war movies that made them want to contribute to their country.

Celebrities might seem like they’re worlds away from us “regular” people, but the fact is they’re just like us. They have families, people who love them, and their own ideas and notions. Some of them have enlisted to the army because they felt the need to contribute, and left their families behind to do what they felt was right. Adam Driver, for example – whom you probably know from the HBO show Girls and the Star Wars franchise – enlisted to the Marines after the events of September 11th, like many other men and women who felt they needed to protect their country.

The experiences these people went through in the army made them who they are, and whether they’re actors, performers, singers, or public figures, they might not have become who they are without having served in the military when they were younger. But there’s no doubt about one thing – they’ve made contributions not only to their field of work, but to their country as well.